Career
Tile and stone setters
Set tile and stone.
$55,690
Median pay
+9.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
3,300
Openings a year
No formal educational credential
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges.
- Finish and dress the joints and wipe excess grout from between tiles, using damp sponge.
- Cut and shape tile to fit around obstacles and into odd spaces and corners, using hand and power cutting tools.
- Determine and implement the best layout to achieve a desired pattern.
- Mix, apply, and spread plaster, concrete, mortar, cement, mastic, glue or other adhesives to form a bed for the tiles, using brush, trowel and screed.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Align and straighten tile using levels, squares, and straightedges.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Mathematics, Speaking, Complex Problem Solving.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though long-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $55,690 a year and 3,300 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Mason/MasonryCIP 46.0101
- Carpet, Floor, and Tile WorkerCIP 46.0413
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles$56,460 · +9.0%
- Terrazzo Workers and Finishers$76,170 · -13.0%
- Stonemasons$57,390 · -5.4%
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters$47,550 · -11.7%
- Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →
Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.